2018 Volvo XC60 Review

On the market for nearly a decade, the XC60 is in desperate need of an upgrade. The car is not bad by any means but the fact that its competitors are using newer technologies hurts its sales. A successor is expected with the 2018 Volvo XC60 but not much has been said about it.

2018 Volvo XC60 Review

In fact many believed that the car would be discontinued but this changed once its actual successor has been spied testing wearing quite a bit of camouflage. Now that Volvo finally released their smaller cars, the focus moved to the larger XC60 which should see the light of day by the end of 2017.

Like with the XC90, the smaller XC60 is going to use Volvo’s new modular platform which should be quite interesting to see on a smaller car. Keeping true to their tradition, everything will be new for the XC60 starting from its design all the way to its engines. The new platform also means that the car will get more efficient, likely better to drive as well as slightly larger.

Source: topspeed.com

In fact we can look at it like at the five seats only version of the XC90. We expect the two to be quite similar in terms of finished design which is not really that bad. This will finally give Volvo a good range of cars to compete. We expect the upcoming 2018 Volvo XC60 to be similar to the larger XC90.

However, unlike the previous model, which was nearly identical, the new one might also get fresh influences from the smaller XC30. A raked roof is a real possibility here and even though the test mule didn’t seem to have it, it was wearing plastic plates to hide pretty much any curves. Up front the two seem to be pretty much identical.

Source: topspeed.com

However, the smaller XC60 will be lower and it will definitely feature a lower front end. The end result should be a slightly more aggressive design which is what people are looking for.

Interior of 2018 Volvo XC60

Unfortunately, like with most other manufacturers these days, the interior of the XC60 will likely be nearly identical to the XC90. For its buyers this is actually a good thing because it will give them a premium design for less money.

Source: topspeed.com

However, the materials and equipment level are not going to be on the same level. Luckily though, things like the massive center screen which controls everything on the car or the really unique feel are going to be kept which is what it matters.

Volvo XC60 Engine

The rather interesting inline 5 and 6 engines of the original are not going to be used here. Instead, the 2018 Volvo XC60 should make use of inline 4 engines only, the same as the ones found on the XC90. The base model should get a 2 liter turbocharged inline 4 with 245 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque.

Further up the range, the same engine but with an added supercharger should be used. This will provide 320 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque making it one of the most powerful 2 liter engines on the market. In Europe a 2 liter diesel will also be available.

This will offer 190 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque with one turbo. When equipped with twin-turbos, it will make 225 horsepower and 347 lb-ft of torque. In any case, it will be more efficient than the petrol engine by around 20%.

The T8 hybrid found on the larger XC90 on the other hand might not make an appearance. However, like with the larger car, an automatic will be offered on all engines. This time around though, a six speed manual might also be used with certain powertrains.